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Traceability should be established for food and any other substance intended to be, or expected to be, incorporated into a food, including all ingredients used in the preparation, manufacture or treatment of
a food, including grain, gases, water or any other substance to be incorporated into a final product and veterinary drugs, plant protection products and fertilizers are not included in the scope, though other
controls may apply under separate legislation relating to the traceability of such compounds Etrace 2007. ISO 22000 described that the organization shall establish and apply a traceability system. The traceability
program described by ISO 22000 identifies incoming material from the immediate suppliers to the distribution of finished products.
Nestlé has a product traceability program, complete with 247 emergency contact information, capable to effectively trace specific lots of ingredients including bulk ingredients, packaging and
finished products through shipping and distribution channels. This traceability program is based on ISO 22000 which also has the ability to trace ingredients or component product-in-process, carryover product
and rework. Mock recalls shall be regularly conducted minimum of once a year to validate traceability program. Traceability program shall be documented and prepared for each mock recall describing the
recall process and the results, with corrective actions addressing any discovered deficiencies.
5.2.5 Shelf Life and Expiry Date
Shelf life is how long foods, beverages, pharmaceutical drugs, chemicals, and many other perishable items are given before they are considered unsuitable for sale, use, or consumption. Gyesley
1991 describes shelf life as the recommendation of time that products can be stored, during which the defined quality of a specified proportion of the goods remains acceptable under expected or specified
conditions of distribution, storage and display. Shelf life date is mostly used as guideline according to normal and expected handling and exposure to temperature. The expiry date does not guarantee the safety
of a food or drug. It does not also guarantee that a product is not always dangerous or ineffective after the expiration date. Nestlé describes shelf life as the time period during which all quality, functional, safety
and legal requirements of the batch can be guaranteed; the time period during which the batch of raw material, packaging material, rework and semi-finished product can be used for manufacture and packing
of products; or the time during which the batch of finished product can be sold. The shelf life serves as a basis for Shelf Life Expiry Date calculation based on the production date. Process ensuring that all batches
are associated with correct shelf life information is called shelf life management. Shelf life management ensures that all batches is managed appropriately to ensure timely consumption.
Codex regulates about shelf life on Codex Standard 1-1985, the General Standard for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods. Shelf life is an informal term which is not used in the regulations of all
countries. In Codex, the Date of Minimum Durability represents the end of a marketing life and is appropriately labeled “best before”. Labeling a food product with the date of minimum durability is
required if the food is prepackaged.
All raw and packaging materials, semi-finished products and rework, and finished products in the Nestlé system must have a Shelf Life Expiry Date SLED. Nestlé regulates its Shelf Life Expiry Date on
the prepackaged foods based on Codex Standards 1-1985. All semi-finished products, rework, and finished products also have a production date which are based on Codex. The Shelf Life Expiry Date
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information must be physically marked on the packaging or storage container, and must be consistent with the Shelf Life Expiry Date information in the corresponding batch record in the system.
5.2.6 Net Content
